Improvement in-self opening and closing bungs



' W. ENTIGOTT, .Self Opening and Closing Bung. o. 211.274. Patented July8,1879.

UNITED OFFICE.

I WILLIAM ENTIGOTT, OF ALLEGHENY, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT lN SELF OPENINGAND CLOSING BUNGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 217,274, dated July 8,1879 application filed March 1, 1879.

new and useful Improvements in Self-Opening.

and Self-Closing Bungs; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use it,reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, which form part ofthis specification.

My invention relates to self closing and self-openin g bungs for theescape of gas from barrels containing coal-oil or other fluids and itconsists in adapting to the under side of a buug a ball-valve controlledby aweight therefrom suspended, the said valve being pierced verticallyto correspond with a vent in the top of the bung so long as the barrelremains in a vertical or upright position, and

becomes hermetically sealed when the barrel is rolled or its positionchanged, as will he fuIly described hereinafter.

The accompanying drawings represent my invention.

Figure 1 is a vertical section, and Fig. 2 is a side elevation, of thelower part of the bung and weight.

The bung A is of the usual form, has a venthole through its top, and atits bottom a hole or opening of sufficient dimension to receive withinit an elastic cushion, I), made of material to resist the action of thefluid in the barrel and of the gas escaping from it.

To better retain the elasticity of the cushion, a spiral spring, 7', isintroduced at its inside. The cushion is also provided with a leatherring, 0, at the end in contact with the bung, and thereby glued orotherwise secured to the wood to prevent leakage, and a hole is madethrough the cushion, that corresponds with the one through the top ofthe To the valve 0 a stem, 01, is attached, and to the end of this aweight, D, controlling the motions of the valve.

A hole passing from the bottom through the top of the valve correspondswith the one through the cushion b, and with the vent-hole in the bungso long as the weight, from a changed position of the barrel, does notturn the ball-valve to either side; but when the barrel is turned overor rolled about, the weight D, by its gravity, turns the valve and hermetically closes the bung.

On opposite sides, upon the plate 3, are catches f, constructed toarrest the stem 01 with its weight, and prevent unnecessary wear of thevalve when the barrel is rolled or removed from place to place, andformed to again release the stem when the barrel is returned to itsformer upright position.

The bungis to be introduced into the center of one end of the barrel,and when the barrel stands in an upright position, the hung upward, theweight D keeps the vent open for the escape of gas; but when barrels areexposed in this position to rain, the water gathering on the head of thebarrel might find an en trance through the vent in the bung. To obviatethis a suitable cap, E, is provided, which, when placed over theventhole in the bung, excludes not only the water, but allows the gas tocontinue to escape through an opening near its top.

The object of my invention is to prevent the losses sustained from thebursting of barrels, and the consequent waste of material, occasioned byan accumulation of gas in the barrels containing coal-oil or otherfluids from which gas evolves.

By letting the gas escape without requiring any extra labor, and yetkeeping the barrels in a condition to be rolled or handled with safetyat all times against loss of the liquids, and again to continue theoutflow of gas as soon as the barrel is restored to an upright position,I have attained the end proposed.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. The plate B, secured tothe bottom of bung, and seated therein the valve 0, pierced by a hole,and controlled by a Weight attached I), valve 0, plate B, cap E, andweight D, subto the ball of the valve, substantially as shown stantiallyarrangedas shown and described. and described. .In testimony that Iclaim the foregoing I 2. The plate B, holding a ball-valve in its havehereunto set my hand this 26th day of seat, and having at opposite sidesthe catches February, 1879.

f, to hold the Weight D when the barrel is WILLIAM ENTIOOTT. rolled, andagain release it when the barrel is Witnesses: set on end, substantiallyas set forth. T. F. LEHMANN,

3. The combination of the bung A, cushion EDWARD L. BARTON.

